The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-08

A Posthumous Study.
BY NINE. GEORGE SAND.
[NEvER BEFORE PUBLISHED IN ANY Lam
GUAGE.1
Translated by Leu Vande,poole.

Nichette, so l think is the sweetest and
the most delightful woman in all France;
and that, certainly, is saying great deal.
am a sort of combination of painter,
sculptor, poet and musician, though indo-
lence-to say nothing of the lack of genius
has kept me from accomplishing any
thing in either of any consequence; and you
would not remember me if | told you my
name, In my childhood / was almost en-
tirely without playmates so / took to books
instead of to trinkets, and my elders were
foolish enough to encourage my abnormal
tastes. Consequently, when / was a young
man of Is, was at a loss to understand
WHY the women | saw in life were so unlike
the lovely creatures who figured in the books
had read
A little later, when my preferences en-
forced my drifting into the various and in
yiting channels of art, | saw that art wom-
en- as well as book women, had but little in
common with the women of everyday life.
can scarcely say that was disappointed
I was only puzzled. It seemed to me that
there was something wrong about both the
real and the ideal women. There was much
in each which appealed to the natural i'm
pulses and instincts of men; and there was,
also, much in each which men of fine ma
the women whom men were to have for
wives, mothers, sisters and friends, could
only have the best attributes, and none of
the faults, of both real and ideal women,
there, indeed would be a sufficient reason
for turning ones back on heaven and bask-
ing in the glory and splendor of woman in
stead. The danger of this is, perhaps, the
reason why women are as they are, and not
as they might be; that is, all women but
Nichette, who. pardon me for saying it,
could not be changed in any way which
would improve her.
/ first met her about two years ago when
she was 20 and 80 years, old and, also, when
Twas almost driven to the conclusion that the
kind of a woman which / have Just de
scribed as my idea of the woman a mar
could not help taking to his heart was moi
to be encountered in this life
Nichette was all that had longed for anC
expected, and even more. She idealized my
ideal OF course | fell in love with her a.
once. My notions and whims concerning
women in general did not please her at first
for like all who are possessed of fine, self
critical natures, she believed herself vastly
inferior to every one else. But she soon sci
down my fancies as the honestly meant but
erratic vagarieS of dreaming philosopher
and so her love and kisses were not long de
MED me.
One day she was sitting on the gnarlet
root OF great shade tree ana L was lying
in the grass at her feet. 1t was summer; the
air was warm and full of the voice of birds
and bees, and | was full of love and admi
ration for pretty Nichette, who was making
fun Of my frequent and rapturous compi
ments. At last feigning petulance she made
a pretence of kicking me, whereupon
snatched off one of her dainty little slip
pers and refused to surrender it until sht
promised to behave better.
R.,t che would not ,,roraiSa apJ CO until
mock gravity lay holding her slipper il
dead silence. She sat watching ME for tive
or three minutes, and then suddenly ben
over me and asked what was thinking O.
that made me so grave.
0Oblivion,n ! answered, sepulchrally. :